It’s dusk, the stars will soon illuminate the sky with its gleaming presence. I’m still lying on the floor of my bedroom, staring at my bland ceiling. I abruptly grab my phone, and my earphones before I slip on my shoes.
The crisp air greets me as soon as I open my house door. My teeth chatter as I scan for my “night stroll” playlist, featuring Lana Del Rey, Sufjan Stevens and Gregory Alan Isakov. Three contrasting artists who produce raw music if you ask me; their emotions and thoughts individualizing them.
With the gentle caress of the wind, the leaves waltz down right in front of my eyes. As I walk amidst the hushed conversation of the rustling bush and crickets chirping, I finally put in my earphones. The first song of the playlist being Chemtrails Over The Country Club by Lana Del Rey, my two leaden feet trudge along the sidewalk. Sinking into the melody, my attention is drawn to nature’s boundless infinity that envelops us even from thousands of miles away.
I look up and I see the stars that light up the velvety black sky. I look ahead of me and the silhouette of San Miguel Mountain is traced in the horizon. I shift my gaze to the side and down, only to be greeted by the vibrant array of plants and the lofty presence of the trees. Living in a city that emits both an urban and suburban essence, I find myself surrounded by an abundance of nature’s simple, yet splendid gifts.
I wonder how many people in the world are gazing at the stars. Which one of them is observing the same star my eyes are fixated on?
It’s fascinating how a star deceptively small, is immensely huge in an up-close perspective. Oftentimes shied away from the dominant industrial lights, they reveal their mesmerizing charms where no lights overshadow their grace.
Perhaps I’m overanalyzing the mystique of stars, but I find peace by immersing myself in the infinite cosmos—breaking away from our confining world. It’s funny, reflecting on my childhood because I was wholeheartedly captivated by The Little Prince, a book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I was a young girl, in awe of the young prince who visited different planets and stars to cope through his loneliness. I used to nurture my thoughts that the Little Prince was peering down on me from above.
All in all, the little prince was more than a character; he was my beloved friend.
He once explained “People have stars, but they aren’t the same. For travelers, the stars are guides. For other people, they’re nothing but tiny lights. And for still others, for scholars, they’re problems. For my businessman, they were gold.”
This is a pure and wholesome quote that delivers the idea of subjectivity and how we set values for various aspects of life. Depending on one’s position, beliefs and mindset, it can significantly shape the value of a shared symbol; in this case, the stars. It’s important for us to reflect on the values we have assigned for the beautiful and vital aspects of nature—to acknowledge the unwavering strength and resilience of our Earth in its daily battle posed by human existence.
Because at day’s end, our stewardship expands to nurturing our sole planet, the same way it has been nurturing us.
And for me, the stars are celestial treasures that connect me to the precious gifts of our Earth.
